Eighth Grade is Making me Sick

Eighth Grade is Making Me Sick:
 Ginny Davis's Year in Stuff

By Jennifer L. Holm
Illustrated by Elicia Castaldi

This book is super cool; it's not exactly a standard graphic novel, but it is a story told through pictures of stuff (IMs, emails, doctor's reports, lists, notes, drawings, poems, invitations, report cards)...sort of a collage-diary-doodle-scrapbook--hard to explain, but come check it out!
Ginny Davis, entering 8th grade, has some major ups and downs as she tries out for cheerleading, dissects a worm and fetal pig, falls in love and joins a social network site. She also deals with some serious family drama like her mom having a new baby, stepdad losing his job, annoying little brother and always-in-trouble older brother, and a couple of moves.
Funny and clever!

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
By Benjamin Alire Sáenz
 

This is the story of two teenage Mexican-American boys growing up in El Paso, Texas.
One of the boys, Ari, is angry at his parents for never talking about his older brother who is in prison. He has few friends until the summer day he meets Dante at the swimming pool, and everything changes.
Dante--full of life and happiness--gives Ari the opportunity to experience real friendship for the first time.
Over the course of the novel, there are some misunderstandings, dangerous accidents, and ultimately the discovery that it is OK to fall in love, even if it's with another boy.